Second pic

Looks like some form of caterpillar to me. Don't poison yourself, others, and your garden with Sevin. BT K variant is all you need.

Kevin

This is what I found inside when I cut the pod open.

Kevin,

Thanks. Please explain BT K? Never heard of nor used it. I do not want to hurt anyone to include my plants, but it is to the point I am about to give up on my grow this year. Get the pods to the point of ripening and this happens. I bet I have had to throw away 30 pods within the last two week because of this.

BT K is a bacterium. OMRI listed. It only affects caterpillars. They die when they eat anything that's sprayed with it. You still want to do some inspecting and get any that you see for a couple weeks because it's not very effective on mature ones. But after making it a part of a bi=weekly routine for a couple weeks, you'll get straightened out.

Goes by the name thuricide, caterpillar killer, dipel, et al. Available at home depot and any nursery. I haven't seen it at Lowe's or Walmart lately though. Make sure it's the K variant though. The I variant is used in mosquito dunks.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: BT

This post was edited by woohooman on Wed, Jul 16, 14 at 20:33

One of the worst pests of peppers in some locations is the European corn borer.

If the caterpillars are inside, it's too late to apply anything, including Bt-K. No to Sevin.....wouldn't do you a bit of good and could wreak havoc in your garden.

You might want to call or visit your local extension office and ask them what fruit borer would be infesting your peppers in your vicinity.....and when the best time to take action would be.

I can't believe there is an insect that will eat something so hot. Best of luck with the bt.

Chad,
Some animals have no sense of capsicum. We on the other hand are screwed.
I understand like 1% of our population can eat a Reaper and to them..no hotter than a bell pepper but all the flavor.

Sucks :-(

Stoney

Chad,
Some animals have no sense of capsicum. We on the other hand are screwed.
I understand like 1% of our population can eat a Reaper and to them..no hotter than a bell pepper but all the flavor.

Sucks :-(

Stoney

Bill: there you go. Rhizo1 is one that knows her stuff.

Though she is correct about them already being inside and nothing to be done, I would still try the BT. If they try to bite fruit, then you may still lose the pod due to rot, but at least you'll bring the populations down.

Might also look into ordering some green lacewing eggs/larve... a voracious general predator that munches on all sorts of insects and their eggs.

Good luck.

Kevin

Yep, you have some sort of fruit worm infestation. I would also treat with the BT-K. As the caterpiller comes from eggs layed by an adult moth. So as long as moths are around you will get more. I have found a few in my garden, but not enough for me to treat it at this point. I found one worm resting inside a Muruga Scorpion pod still green. Just found one small hole in the pod to tip me off. You will prevent any new hatched worms from causing damage like you are seeing. I like the lacewig option even better if you can do it.

kclost,

Sorry to thread jack Bill_Missy but I have that same bug ravaging my chocolate bells right now that's in your pic driving me nuts. They look like cut worms to me but I though they were soil dwellers. I treated my plants with BT so Im hoping to stop the chaos lol. I literally lost my whole crop of chocolate bells. Two plants worth but enough to pis* me off since I only had two plants. They didnt touch any of my other peppers though.

Thank you all for your responses, advice and help. From what I have researched on the internet, it is in fact a European corn borer. This flat out SUCKS!!!!

I am at a loss what to do. I did come home tonight and did not find anymore, but I did find a couple peppers that are getting "soft". I am researching BTK now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nasty Borer's

flipback, it won't hurt to add diatomaceous earth to the surface of your soil... It will destroy any worm that gets on or comes out of the ground. Slugs too...

Not sure if it can be spread on the plants, worth checking into.

No to Sevin.

Carbaryl kills both targeted (e.g. malaria-carrying mosquitos) and beneficial insects (e.g. honeybees), as well as crustaceans.
Although approved for more than 100 crops in the US, carbaryl is illegal in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Iran, Germany, and Angola.[3]

Carbaryl is a cholinesterase inhibitor and is toxic to humans. It is classified as a likely human carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.)

kclost: I was once a big proponent of DE, but.... though it's safe for humans and considered an organic pesticide, it's rather broad spectrum. So, it kills a lot of the good guys. Something to consider.

Kevin

You can harvest a few and ferment them to use as a tea to spray. Very effective and totally organic and should not effect any beneficial critters at all. Best part is it free.Good luck and please share your results.

Kevin, where do you order your good bugs from?

vedabeeps:You can get ladybugs at almost any nursery, but for my lacewings, I got them at rincon-vitova out of Ventura. Try to choose somebody as local as possible since they are LIVING. Tiptopbio is one that I've heard from a member here that does him well -- they're in L.A. Other than that, the best way is to create an environment to attract them and keep them around reproducing after releasing -- planting flowering plants that bloom at different times of the year. It's extra work but, over time, well worth it.

Click on the link for a chart that might help.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Beneficial plants and insects

This post was edited by woohooman on Fri, Jul 18, 14 at 15:06